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Mistakes, Chances, and Chipping away at Character

So how many chances do we get? How many mistakes are we allowed to make? At what time does our Character start to erode beyond the point of repair?These are questions that are always out there.. but no one seems to want to answer. In our society today it seems that we are willing to give chance after chance with no expectation of demonstrating good character.We allow athletes, movie stars, musicians, and other folks in the lime light opportunity after opportunity to “make things right” and the message that we send is “Anything goes, don’t worry about consequences”. You can get away with anything as long as you say you are sorry.I spent some time in Southwest Asia, justice is swift and unforgiving there. Consequences are dire and without remorse. I am not suggesting we should be that harsh, but at what point do we start to worry about the erosion of the character of the people of our country.We see politicians that lie, cheat, and steal from our country.. only to be reelected. We see rock stars that are clearly into a life style that I would not want my kids to live. Money is the answer.. “Well, they make millions, they are exempt…. or cool” What’s the message?Now before anyone says that I am ranting on the rich and famous.. NO I AM NOT… I am ranting on the general public that allows the erosion of character to happen. It is our fault for letting this happen and we need to wake up.Mike Vic kills dogs for eight years.. In Philadelphia, number 7 Jersey’s are the number one selling jersey. WHY? The University of Oregon is pushing to reinstate a player that demonstrated a terrible lack of judgement, not only at a game, but being suspended from practice and many off the field infractions. WHY? Brittany Spears is in and out of rehab, seemingly not bucking for mom of the year, but her concerts are full and record sales up. WHY? And let’s not get into politics. I googled “Political Scandal… Page after page of politicians that should all be in jail.The point here is how many chances do we give? What is kind of mistakes are we allowed to make, especially if we have no intent on learning from them and doing better? And how far are we going to let our Character slip?You need to answer these questions.. Each of you.Live the Scout Oath and Law.Have a Great Scouting Day!

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"There are little things in life that helps to ‘center us’, and one of those was your blog. I am feeling more fulfilled now! Glad you are back" - Nate
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Jerry, you’re an excellent communicator, you have a very experienced and level headed view of Scouting and you definitely are a great example of a servant leader. Seriously, I think you should be working for BSA National - Trent